


The Return

by galaxy_houseplants



Series: Carry On Countdown 2018 [29]
Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Carry On Countdown (Simon Snow), Christmas Dinner, F/M, Family, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Makeout Scenes, Mild Angst, Mild Sexual Content, Nostalgia, and i mean Mild angst, it's a ride yall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 04:53:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17114855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxy_houseplants/pseuds/galaxy_houseplants
Summary: Three years after the fateful Christmas Eve when they got together, Simon and Baz return to the Grimm household.





	The Return

**Author's Note:**

  * For [My sister Josie](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=My+sister+Josie).



> COC day 29! Almost there, y'all.
> 
> Totally made up names and personalities for Baz's other sisters.

 

“Okay, so, your stepmother’s name is Daphne and your father is Malcolm. I should call them Mr. and Mrs. Grimm unless they tell me otherwise, which your stepmother probably will and your father almost certainly won’t unless I really charm him. Your oldest sister is Mordelia, who’s ten and starting her first year at Watford in September, and still calls me the Chosen One sometimes. There’s also the twins, Felicity and Agnes, who’re six, and Victoria, who’s almost four. Did I get that all right?”

“Well done. They all know you’re coming, Mordelia likes you because you had wings and Felicity, Agnes and Vic have all only heard nice things about you. My stepmother likes you, and my father will just have to cope.” Baz replied, releasing the steering wheel for a moment to squeeze his hand. “Crowley, it’s cold,  _ why  _ does it always have to snow so much?” he complained, using his other arm to rub some warmth into his sides and shoulders.

“Well, you’re also a vampire and over six feet tall, so your fingers are bound to be cold. Lucky for you that I’m basically a human furnace.” Simon said, squeezing Baz’s arm. “You might have to spell me neat and tidy when we arrive, by the way. My hair is almost certainly all over the place.”

“Though it does look very cute, I’d have to agree. My father hasn’t seen you in four years, it’s probably better if you look at least a little sophisticated.”

“I think I look slightly more put together than I did when I was eighteen years old and covered in mud, though. That was a wild visit.”

“It started with you showing up to my house with half the dirt in the world all over you and thirsting over me in jeans- don’t hit me, I’m right- then continued with you making out with me in a forest and ended with the magic being sucked out of our entire estate, so, yeah, wild is a good term.”

“I’m glad the magic returned to your house fairly quickly, considering it was my fault.” Simon said, looking down at his legs as they kept driving on through the snow.

“Hey, it was the Humdrum, not you. Technically it was the Mage’s fault. The only person who slightly blamed you for it was my father-“ Simon cut into Baz’s sentence.

“Oh, joy, now we’re spending two whole days here.”

“- But I have convinced him otherwise since becoming your boyfriend, so there’s no hard feelings.” Baz finished. “Look, here we are, finally.” Baz pulled into the driveway of the house and turned the engine off, unbuckling his seatbelt. He opened the door, flinching at the rush of cold air into his face, and walked around the car to open it for Simon, who was gathering his things from the car. Simon took his hand to pull himself out and grabbed their bags from the trunk. They walked, hand in hand, to the front of the house and knocked on the door. Inside, they could hear footsteps running to the door, and one of the twins shouted ‘Baz and his boyfriend are here!’

A few seconds later, the heavy door swung open to reveal Mrs Grimm, her dark hair around her shoulders, beaming.

“Baz! And Simon! Come in! The little ones have so looked forward to seeing you both.” She hugged Baz tightly (he squirmed a little in her hold like a child) and smiled at Simon, thankfully not squeezing him in a hug, too.

“Thank you so much for having me, Mrs Grimm-“

“Oh, please, call me Daphne, it’s not like we haven’t met before.” They hung their coats on the hooks at the door and quickly dumped their bags in Baz’s old bedroom before hurrying back downstairs where Baz’s sisters and his father were waiting. Mr Grimm stood up to greet them, and Simon immediately felt a little awkward and out of place. He grabbed Baz’s arm again on reflex, and he smiled at him reassuringly.

“Basilton. Merry Christmas, I trust your studies are going well?” He was an intimidating man, even Baz had told Simon he found him slightly terrifying for most of his life. It surprised Simon how formal and cold he was, considering he hadn’t seen his son in months due to their living and studying a few hours’ drive away. Daphne had greeted Simon, who she’d met only once three years ago when Simon and Baz weren’t together and he was the mage’s heir, more warmly than Mr Grimm had greeted Baz. 

“Shockingly, nothing has changed since the last time we spoke, Father.” Baz replied. 

“Good. And Mr. Snow. Glad you could join us.” His tone made it sound like he really  _ wasn’t  _ glad Simon had joined them, but he did his best to brush it off. Simon shook his hand firmly, trying to look much more confident than he felt. Mr Grimm  looked him over for a moment, making him self-conscious about the very casual clothes he had worn for the drive over, before moving aside so the kids could say hello.

The four little girls (well, Mordelia wasn’t so little as she was when Simon had come to the house in eighth year, but ten was still tiny) hugged Baz, smiling. Baz actually hugged them back- as much as he complained about how annoying they could be when he was growing up, it was heartwarming and  _ adorable  _ to see how much he loved them. When they stopped excitedly telling him what they had asked Santa to bring them, they looked at Simon and stood up straight. He waved a little, smiling, and they waved back. 

“Hi. You’re the Simon with the wings, right?” asked one of the twins, Felicity, Simon thought.

“One and the same. Had them removed, though. Hello, by the way!” Simon said awkwardly, looking at Baz to help.

“Girls, this is Simon. You met him when you were little, but Mordelia, you remember him. He’s my boyfriend. Which you already know, but whatever.”

“Why you would date Baz, I have no idea. He’s an egghead.”

“ _ Mordelia _ !” Baz exclaimed, giving her a shove. She laughed, and so did Simon.

“Sometimes  _ I _ have no idea why I’m dating him, Mordelia. And you are so very right about the egghead part.” Simon said, and gave her a high five. Baz sighed.

“Introducing my boyfriend to my sisters was never going to end well. Bad decisions all around.” Simon chuckled and kissed him on the cheek. Daphne and one of the twins awwed, but Mordelia and the other two sisters pretended to vomit, and left the room with Mr Grimm.

“I like Mordelia.” Simon said as Baz lead him up to the room they had stayed in all those years ago. “I feel like we’re on the same page.”

“Hmm. Unfortunate. I’m glad they’ve warmed to you, though, but be warned, they will absolutely gang up on us in a snowball fight, and even though we’re adults, four small girls can absolutely annihilate us.”

“And I don’t doubt it! Merlin, it’s been so long since we’ve been here. Funny how both times I’ve been here over Christmas dinner, and both times Daphne has been nice and your father has acted like he kind of doesn’t want me here.” Simon said, flopping down on the bed.

“He does. He still hasn’t entirely come around to me having a boyfriend, but he’s known for long enough that he shouldn’t bring it up. It’s just weird, I’ve obviously never brought anyone home before.”

“Aww, I’m the first, how sweet. What should I be wearing for dinner?” Simon said, moving on from the lovey-dovey stuff as quickly as possible. He did  _ not  _ have the headspace to form romantic speeches right now.

Baz walked over to the wardrobe where he was hanging up their nice clothes before they creased, thankfully not questioning the subject change. He looked through the outfits Simon had packed, and thought for a moment, the crease between his arched brows Simon loved so much forming.

“I think these navy trousers and this white shirt for tonight, it doesn’t have to be incredibly formal, but for tomorrow, I’d go with the maroon suit. It looks nice on you. And besides, tomorrow I’ll be in a maroon shirt, so we’ll match.” Baz said, holding up the items of clothing. Simon nodded, trying to look like he was considering it, even though they both knew Simon would never disagree.

“We do like matching with each other, don’t we?”

“Hmm. Yeah, it’s nice. We should get dressed, dinner will be in about half an hour.” Baz sat down on the edge of the bed, and Simon pulled him down so they were lying next to each other, so close they were almost touching. 

“I just don’t want to mess anything up. I want your family to like me, because I’m planning on being with you for a long time, so I’m going to be in your life. So please tell me if I say anything dumb. Give me a nudge if I should change the subject.” Simon said, looking worried. Baz placed a hand on his cheek, gently kissing his forehead.

“Don’t worry, they think you’re nice. Nobody’s trying to make you look bad. Even if you do mess up, they won’t stop liking you. We used to do really shitty things to each other, and I didn’t stop liking you.” Simon smiled a little, pulling Baz even closer and flipping over onto his back so Baz could put his head on his chest. He did. 

“This is true. But promise you will tell me anything I shouldn’t talk about?”

“Promise.” Baz moved to place a kiss on Simon’s neck, making him shiver, and slowly slid his lips down over his collarbone and onto his chest below the neckline of his button-down. Simon drew in a breath with a gasp and a quiet moan, and was just about to slide a hand under Baz’s shirt when a knock came from the door. They jumped apart quickly, breathing heavily. Simon fell off the bed with an ‘oomph’. Baz choked out a ‘what?’ and the person outside cleared their throat and giggled.

“Mum says get ready for dinner, and come downstairs in fifteen. Hurry up. I want to show you my painting I did at school.” It was Agnes, and she immediately ran away, her footsteps echoing on the wooden stairs. Baz and Simon laughed for a second (Baz’s laugh was more of a giggle, though he would never admit it) before standing up and pulling on their smarter clothes and walking downstairs arm-in-arm. Mordelia greeted them at the bottom of the stairs, a smirk on her round face.

“Agnes says you were  _ making out _ -“

“ _ Shut up,  _ Mordelia, you demon child-“ Baz hissed at her, and Simon cracked up laughing at his face.

“I’m not the demon child, you’re a vampire!” Baz stuck his tongue out at her and she laughed, running to meet her sisters at the dinner table. Baz and Simon joined them, sitting next to each other opposite the twins and Mordelia, with Victoria on Simon’s right, and Mr Grimm on Baz’s left. This arrangement meant that Simon ended up talking to the very chatty four-year-old for almost the entire meal, as she enthusiastically told him about the specifics of the purple, winged creature she had asked for for Christmas and what she had made at kindergarten a few weeks ago. Daphne eventually shushed her so she could talk to Simon and Baz, but not before Victoria made Simon pinky-swear to talk to her tomorrow, which Simon was happy to do.

“So, Simon, how have things been with university?” Daphne asked him, and she seemed like she was genuinely interested. He had immediately warmed to her, she was friendly and didn’t judge him on his past and made  _ really  _ good roast dinners.

“Uh, great, thanks! The coursework is really interesting, and it’s been nice to have our own apartment.” Daphne smiled, nodding. “This dinner is delicious, by the way, best meal I’ve had in a long time.”

“Thank you! I take that as high praise, Baz says you love your food.”

“He isn’t wrong!” They chatted about recipes and the baking he had wanted to try out for almost the remainder of the dinner before the girls started to get restless and they left the table. Baz and Simon ended up doing the dishes, since Daphne had to organise some things for Christmas Day and the girls all had to get ready for bed. 

“Your stepmother is so nice. I managed to not screw up a conversation and bonded with Victoria, so I’d call that meal a success.”

“Well done. My father grilled me about my study for twenty minutes and Mordelia kept insulting my hair, so not quite as good for me. Did Victoria tell you about her purple flying puppy-cat-rabbit yet?”

“She did. Sounds like a crime against nature, to be honest.” Baz laughed, and just as he was about to finish washing up Mr Grimm walked into the kitchen. Baz nodded at him and Simon followed suit, a little nervous.

“Basilton. Could I have a word with Mr. Snow?”

“Go ahead, Father. Simon, I’ll be upstairs.” Baz squeezed his hand and put down his tea-towel. Simon gave him a slightly terrified look over his shoulder, mouthing the words ‘help me!’

Baz responded by mouthing ‘you’ll be fine’ and shooting him a thumbs up before speed-walking out of the kitchen.

“Mr. Snow. I wanted to ask you about whether you have considered your future with my son.”

“Huh? I’m not sure- I’m not sure what you mean, sir.”

“Do you intend to marry him? Because if you do, you should do it sooner rather than later. Some of the Old Families have not yet recognised that he isn’t  _ available,  _ and as much as I must confess I don’t fully agree with your relationship, it’s better than an arranged marriage with some family I have to pretend to agree with to maintain the peace.”

“Oh.  _ Oh.  _ Yes, I definitely want to marry him, Mr Grimm. And I love him a lot, so you don’t need to worry about me hurting him, or whatever. But yes, I do. I just need to get a ring.”

“If that is truly what you intend, there are heirloom rings we would be willing to let you use. Ask Daphne. And like I said, do it quickly. I’m tired of my son being bartered by the Families like they can choose who he should be with to form alliances. And I see that you make him happy.”

“Thank you, sir. I understand.”

“Please. Call me Malcolm.” He gave Simon an awkward pat on the back and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Simon absolutely stricken. He ran upstairs and closed the door to the bedroom as quickly as possible, grabbing Baz’s hands.

“Great snakes, Simon, what happened? Did it go okay?”

“Well, first of all, he basically told me he approves of us, and then he told me to propose to you so the Old Families don’t try to marry you off, then he said I can use an heirloom ring! And he told me to call him Malcolm! So it went better than okay, I would say!” Baz’s mouth fell a little more open in surprise with each announcement.

“ _ Merlin,  _ that’s amazing! Also, please do propose to me, that would be very nice!” Baz pulled him in to a kiss, before shoving him off to get into his pyjamas. “On a less exciting note, I gave the gifts from us to Daphne to put under the tree.”

“That’s good. I hope what we got the girls was okay. And I guess one of my Christmas presents to you is now going to be an heirloom ring which you already technically own, but you should come with me to ask your stepmother for it.” Simon said, climbing into bed in a pair of Baz’s silk pyjamas he’s stolen because he ‘wanted to look decent on Christmas morning!’

“Do be aware that one or all of the girls will wake us up at some awful hour of the morning before they wake up my parents, so don’t expect a full night’s sleep.” Baz joined him under the covers, pulling him close to curl around his warmth. “That being said, I’m not tired…”

“I’m hesitant to make out with you just because there are four children and your parents only a few rooms over and they interrupted us earlier-“

“They won’t interrupt. They’re in bed because my parents are sensible enough to go to bed early on Christmas Eve.”

“Hmm. You have me persuaded.” Simon flipped Baz over so he was holding himself up above the other boy, holding one of his wrists down onto the mattress, leaving the other free. Baz bit his lip, smirking at the move Simon had used for a long time and one he would never get sick of (and never stop finding  _ unbelievably  _ hot. He moved his free hand to throw it above his head on the pillow, where his dark hair was tousled around his face like a halo.

“Someone’s eager. And easily convinced.”

“I suppose, but you’re pretty and I’m in love, so can you really blame me?” Baz reached up to wrap his arm around Simon’s neck to pull himself up to meet him, and Simon moved his head closer to meet in the middle. They knew each other so well, knew what they each liked and wanted, that they could fall into a rhythm and stay like that for hours on end. Baz, stronger, lifted Simon up and put him down underneath him with just enough force to make the bedsprings groan. Simon let out a small squeak of surprise.

“This is new. Didn’t know you liked to be on top!”

“I didn’t know I did, either. Any complaints?”

“Oh, absolutely not.” Baz didn’t hold himself up over Simon, but laid down mostly on top of him, insistently pressing his slightly-warm lips against Simon’s like his life depended on it.

“Merry Christmas, Baz.” Simon murmured half an hour later, placing tired, lazy kisses on Baz’s neck.

“Merry Christmas, Simon.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was by far my favourite work to write in the whole COC, and the one I'm most proud of. I wrote Mordelia as a combination of her canon personality and basically my sister, who's around the same age and I hope will read Carry On when she's a bit older seeing as she loved Harry Potter, which is why I gifted this work to her.
> 
> My tumblr is [here](https://galaxy-houseplants.tumblr.com) if you want to check it out!
> 
> See you tomorrow for the final work in the Countdown!  
> Thanks for reading <3


End file.
